廬山蓮宗寶鑑 10.4

10.4

The Buddha taught that in the western direction there is the world of Sukhāvatī, and in that land there is a Buddha named Amitābha. As recorded in the sūtras, there are both principle and traces. Discussing its principle: the West is none other than one's own nature. This nature is without form and without marks, unaltering and indestructible, firm through kalpas like refined gold. In the hexagrams of the Yijing, it is Dui; because it is quiet and tranquil, it is called the West. Gold is luminous in colour, and its substance is white and pure; it is adduced to illustrate the Dharma-nature. Now, the people of the world are deluded by worldly sensory realms; their false thoughts never cease, stirring in commotion. In the hexagrams of the Yijing, this is Zhen; hence it is called the East. If people can turn back from falsehood and return to truth, recovering their original stillness and seeing their own nature, this is termed abandoning the defiled land of clinging in the East and ascending to the pure and luminous golden ground of the Western region. With regard to directions, it is directionless; by Dharma and metaphor, its essential principle is expressed. When the Huayan helun states that Mañjuśrī came from the East, it is because Mañjuśrī is fundamental unmoving wisdom. The East is where the myriad things sprout and emerge. That which stirs and shakes is the land of initial illumination. From this wisdom faith is born; hence the Avataṃsaka takes the station of faith as the initial birth into the household of the Buddha. The time between the hours of chou and yin is the clear morning, when the sun of wisdom first shines forth, symbolising Mañjuśrī inspiring ordinary mortals to enter faith and see the Way, because the gateway of wisdom gradually expands. Xun is wind, which is transformation through teaching; wind can remove defilement and select purity. Between chen and si, above, it corresponds to the Horn mansion; it represents monks and Daoists, fasting and purification, and the gate of myriad goods, symbolizing the stations of progressive practice. Reaching wu is the middle way; in the hexagrams of the Yijing it is Li, which is the south, uprightness, the sun, and illumination. Being attached and hollow in the middle, it is bright, symbolizing the emptiness of all phenomena; then the sun of wisdom is at high noon, shining universally throughout the world. The dragon girl of the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka attaining Buddhahood in the south conveys this meaning. The southwest is Kun, representing earth, quietude, compliance, the mother, and nurturing. Due west is Dui, the place where metal flourishes and the sun sets. Fire dies at you; it represents austerity, stillness, and harvesting. The northwest is Qian, representing heaven, the father, metal, and firmness and vigor. The north is Kan, representing water, the sovereign, and the teacher, benefiting life and succouring beings, handing down teachings for proper governance. Water is used to subdue fire; the sovereign is paired with ministers, so that ministers are enlightened and the sovereign is upright. Furthermore, excessive water brings overflow. The northeast is Gen, representing mountains and stopping. Below represents dhyāna-concentration and humility; above represents contemplative illumination, wisdom, and the realm of space. Just as the sun, moon, and three luminaries abide in space, shining down upon the myriad things. In the sūtra, other directions are not raised, and only the West is singled out; this is to contrast purity against defilement, to gather delusion into awakening, to set stillness against motion, and to match result with cause. Passing beyond one hundred thousand koṭis of lands means transcending the limits of the four corners, above, below, and the ten directions; surpassing the ten unwholesome karmas of the four wretched destinies; surpassing the realm of the ten virtues of humans and gods; and not being bound by any phenomena. That 'there is a world' means the true-suchness realm of ultimate reality, which is the West of one's own nature. That it is 'Sukhāvatī' (Ultimate Bliss) means that this nature is free from sorrow and distress. How is this known to be so? Those who have seen the nature are not deluded by sensory realms; they fully know that all phenomena are empty, their minds are ever tranquil and calm, without thoughts, without contrivance, without thinking or deliberating. Abiding peacefully in the ground of great extinction, thought after thought they constantly produce wisdom, and phenomenon after phenomenon is as it is. 'I am the King of the Dharma, at ease regarding phenomena'—hence it is named Ultimate Bliss. Discussing its traces: then indeed this world truly exists. The Buddha repeatedly and meticulously spoke of it—how could it be empty talk? What 'exists' is not the existence of a spatial territory or location; it is the existence of non-existence, which is precisely true emptiness and marvelous existence. True emptiness is the real mark. Marvelous existence is the eye-dazzling array of phenomena interpenetrating in the dharmadhātu—how could there be any distinction of East and West? The Sūtra of Perfect Enlightenment says: 'The glorious abiding of all Tathāgatas is the pure ground of awakening of all sentient beings, equally and fundamentally complete throughout the ten directions. By non-dual compliance, various pure lands are manifested in the non-dual realm.' Amitābha is Sanskrit; here it means Measureless Life. 'Buddha' means awakened; it is the nature of vast and perfect enlightenment and the Buddha of the pure dharmakāya on one's own part. This nature is neither born nor extinguished, spanning ancient times and the present; from the Buddhas and bodhisattvas above down to sentient beings of the six destinies below, each and every one possesses this nature of awakening, and therefore they share the same name and title. Alas! Worldly people have been benighted to it for long, falsely grasping at form and marks, pursuing them in inverted ways, willingly sinking into delusion. Our Buddha appeared in the world to open the gate of expedients, praising and speaking of the Pure Land to cause them to believe and admire it. If one can truly consent and believe for oneself, only then will one awaken that firm luminosity is the West, and all directions are entirely the West; when the fire of delusion is extinguished, all lands are pure. Then one knows that the worlds of the ten directions are everywhere Amitābha; whatever meets the eye or is encountered in circumstance is nothing but Sukhāvatī. Hundreds of thousands of samādhis appear before one in response to thought; immeasurable Dharma gates are revealed following the mind. Towering and thorough vision is the multi-storied pavilions; embracing and benefiting sentient beings is named the palaces; guarding against wrongs and protecting goods is named the balustrades; being pure and undefiled is the lotus blossoms; being thoroughly clear is called the ponds; adapting to the square and following the round is called the water; benevolence, compassion, relief, and benefit are called the jewels; being perfumed with precepts, concentration, and wisdom is called the fragrance. The seven bodhi trees cast dense, multi-layered shade; the eightfold noble paths are walked with utter ease. The adornment of myriad virtues blooms in lush clusters; the accomplishment of myriad virtues is fully rounded in fruit. Nirmitas of birds expound the sounds of the Dharma; trees in the wind convey the wings to awakening. Arriving at such a ground, one must all the more preserve and nourish it, until the end of life never backsliding, sloughing it all away—only then is the matter concluded. If this is not yet so, one must never abandon the mountain to recognise an anthill, or cast away jewels to gather firewood, falsely regarding the physical body as ultimate. Believing and knowing that birth and death is a great matter, do not treat it lightly. Seek out true knowledge to discern the essentials of the mind, earnestly practice buddhānusmṛti to seek awakening to the Great Vehicle, clearly see the Amitābha of one's own nature, and directly reach the Mind-only Pure Land. It may indeed be said: 'Though it has always been one's old pavilion and leisure grounds, only when won once does one finally rest.'